Pioneer Leaders in Plant Pathology: E. C. Stakman

Abstract

'Twas the summer of '49; 19', that is. I had finished my first, and what would prove to be my last, year as a high school varsity coach in a small town in western Minnesota. I had accepted the coaching position without having finished my Bachelors degree, and thus enrolled in the summer session at Augsburg College in Minneapolis for what would be the first of the two tenDS I needed to complete my degree. For reasons beyond my recall, I registered for a course in the taxonomy of flowering plants taught by Professor Nash, as fine a man as I will ever meet. The class was quite small, and consequently Professor Nash and I became good friends. One day he acknowledged that in his opinion I should give some thought to graduate school and the pursuit of an advanced degree. The suggestion startled me because I had fully intended to spend my life as an athletic coach, even though the hours and the pay were equally miserable. A few days later he again discussed the subject of graduate school and introduced me to the name of Dr. E. C. Professor Nash had never met Dr. Stakman but he had heard of him and knew him to be a world-renowned plant pathologist. His suggestion that I contact him was incredible to me; I had never been on a farm in my entire life, I had no idea what plant pathology was. I wasn't even certain that I could spell it. Again for reasons beyond my recall, but probably out of near insanity, I actually did cross the river to the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota and locate the Department of Plant Pathology. The first office I came to was that of Dr. J. J. Christensen, or so the name plate said. I knocked on the door and a gentleman beckoned me in. I said, Excuse me, sir, but I am looking for Dr. E. C. Stakman. He inquired as to why I wished to see him and I replied that I wanted to talk to him about the possibility of graduate study in plant pathology. At his request I summarized my background, indicating that I was a major in physical education and had